Love is War
by diamondhana
Summary: Lance notices that Shiro is acting oddly and tries to tell the team about it, but they just brush him off. On a solo mission with Shiro, Shiro attacks him and tries to kill him. Lance barely escapes, and Shiro tells the rest of the team that he is dead. When Keith hears the news, he goes dark in his efforts to bring Lance "back" from the dead.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, guys?" Lance fidgeted, wringing his hands together. "Have you noticed Shiro acting more stressed lately?"

Pidge looked up from where she was typing. "So, he's just dealing with a lot of stuff. Getting captured by the Galra twice tends to screw up your mind a bit." Her tone sounded accusing.

"Yea, no, no!" Lance flapped his hands. "I wasn't trying to say that it was Shiro's fault or anything!"

"Then what are you trying to say Lance? We are busy if you haven't noticed." Allura said irritably.

"Um, never mind." Lance quickly speed walked out the door. His mind was whirling. Something was up with Shiro. He knew his hero! Shiro had been getting angrier at everybody, snapping during training and not taking any of Lance's suggestions on missions. And if something did go wrong, he found a way to pin the blame on Lance!

_But maybe it was your fault. Are you really going to blame Shiro for your own stupidity?_

No! Lance shook his head. He knew something was up, he just didn't know what it was.

"Lance!"

Lance turned around from where he was training to see Shiro approaching him. "Hey Shiro, what do you need?"

A strange expression stole over Shiro's face, before settling back into a pleasant expression. "Allura wants us to go down and investigate the planet below us. She thinks that the Galra might be threatening the inhabitants, holding them against their will."

"Ok, I'll meet the rest of the team at the hangar." Lance turned to walk out, but was stopped by Shiro's arm.

"Actually, it's just going to be the two of us. Allura wanted it to be a stealth mission."

Immediately, warning bells began blaring in Lance's head. Why would Allura want him on a stealth mission?

"Are you sure I'm the best fit for this mission? Wouldn't Pidge be better, since her lion has a cloaking mechanism?"

The arm on his shoulder tightened imperceptibly. "Maybe, but I want my sharpshooter watching my back."

Lance couldn't help but swell at Shiro's words. It had been a long time since he had gotten any type of appreciation.

"Alright, Sharpshooter Lance is on it!" He saluted Shiro and went to his room to suit up. As he turned around, he could have sworn that Shiro's eyes had flashed purple.

Lance got ready, and raced down to the hangars. Shiro stood there, decked out in black armor. "I forgot to mention it to you Lance, but we will only be taking the Black Lion on this mission. The less lions, the better."

Lance felt a niggling suspicion in the back of his mind, but pushed it away. This was Shiro, his hero! He would never do anything to hurt him. "Roger that!"

Lance climbed into the Black Lion after Shiro, and sat behind him. Shiro took over the controls, and smoothly guided them into a shrouded area, filled with bushes and trees. "We'll start here, and go to the nearest village to do some scouting." Shiro ordered, climbing out of the pilot's seat and walking out.

Lance clambered out after him. "OK, how far is the nearest village?"

Shiro glanced back at him. "About a mile or so, why don't you go a little ahead, and I'll cover your back?"

Lance felt a zing of uneasiness. "Shouldn't I cover you, since I'm the sniper?"

"Lance, just do as your told!"

_Great going Lance, you already managed to screw up and it hasn't even been 5 minutes yet._

"Right, sorry Shiro." Without looking back, Lance ran ahead of Shiro and started pushing through the tree branches. His thoughts were whirling. Why did Shiro ask him to scout ahead? It made no sense, the whole reason Shiro had wanted him to come along was because he wanted Lance to watch his back. So, what changed his mind?

_He wants to attack you when your back is turned. _

Whoa! Lance rapidly shook his head, as if to shake away the intrusive thought. The idea of Shiro harming him seemed ridiculous. Yet at the same time, Lance remembered how Shiro seemed to snap at him, and how for a second, Lance had seen his eyes flash purple.

_Did the Galra do something to Shiro?_

Nah, it was just stress. Besides, Lance knew that Shiro suffered from PTSD. He was just dealing with a lot at the moment. After walking for a while, Lance came upon a grassy clearing.

_That's weird. Didn't Shiro say that there should be a village around here?_

"Uh, Shiro? Did I go the wrong way? I don't see anybody here." Silence followed his call. With a growing sense of unease, Lance turned around and was about to make his way back to Shiro, when he saw a flash of metal.

"Shiro? Is that you?"

Shiro stepped out of the bushes, his eyes full own glowing purple. "Hey Lance, did you fail the mission already?"

"W-What are you talking about Shiro? There's no village!"

Shiro smiled cruelly. "Finally caught on did you? You know, if you weren't in the way, Voltron would be so much better. You hold us back Lance, and deep in your mind, you know it."

"What are you talking about Shiro? That's not true!" Lance blinked away the tears in his eyes. This felt like his worst nightmare. His hero, the one person he admired most in the universe, was calling him a failure.

_Well, it's true isn't it? You can't do anything right. Nobody wants you around. Pidge thinks you're too stupid to do anything, Hunk doesn't need you holding him back, Allura just finds your dumb flirting and jokes annoying, and you're the reason Keith left the team. If you had just kept your big mouth shut, Keith would still be here, and Shiro would be happy._

Shiro watched him, sensing the internal struggle he was having. "That's right Lance, you know the truth. Why don't you just leave already? Or do you need some convincing?" A whine filled the air as Shiro's Galra arm powered up.

Lance took a step back. "Shiro, this isn't you. It's me, your teammate! I'm not your enemy!"

"Your right Lance, this isn't me." All of a sudden, Shiro's voice changed.

_Where have I heard that voice before?_

"Haggar!" Lance's drew his bayard. "What the hell have you done to Shiro?"

"Finally figured it out boy? You know, everybody in the Galra empire calls you the slow one, but you're the only one who figured it out. If it weren't for you, I would have already killed Voltron. It's almost a shame I have to get rid of you. Almost." With that, Shiro charged at Lance, his arm swiping at where Lance had just been standing a second ago.

Lance immediately transformed his bayard into a blaster, and shot at Shiro. "Shiro, I know you're in there! Please, fight it!"

Shiro dodged the blast. "Shiro's gone little boy. And soon, you will be to." He landed a powerful kick to Lance's ribs.

"Argh!" Lance screamed, feeling his ribs crunch as he fell to the ground. As soon as he was down, Shiro pressed his advantage. He began raining blows down on Lance. All he could feel was pain. Lance glanced over to his side to where his bayard lay. Closing his eyes, he summoned up the energy. With a roar, Lance surged up, knocking Shiro off his feet and grabbing his bayard. He shot Shiro, and his aim was true. Shiro sailed backwards, and crashed into the bushes.

"You're going to regret that."

Lance looked up, blinking through the blood to see Shiro charge at him. Instinctively, Lance held his bayard out, and it changed forms to a sword.

"CLANG!"

His sword connected with Shiro's arm. As they parried back and forth, Shiro grunted. "So, you got a sword now. Still trying to be like Keith I see. Don't know why you bother, Keith is 100 times the paladin you will ever be." With those final words, Shiro overpowered him, and grabbed his sword.

"You know, I think I'll almost miss you."

"Shiro, please!" Lance cried. "Don't do this to me! I have family, I don't want to die here."

For a heart stopping moment, Shiro faltered, his eyes clearing.

"Lance?"

But just as Lance felt hope, Shiro's eyes went purple again. He watched as Shiro brought his sword up, and stabbed him in the stomach.

Pain burst throughout Lance's body, as he wept. Through the pain, Lance heard voices.

"I heard somebody screaming, I'm not lying. I think somebody is in trouble!"

"Well, looks like somebody is coming along just in time to watch you die." Shiro remarked. "Better make this quick, can't have the Black Paladin seen murdering one of his beloved teammates."

Shiro raised the sword again, this time angling higher. "I guess you won't be a sharpshooter anymore." With that, Shiro brought the sword down on Lance's right eye.

Belatedly, Lance heard screaming in the background, and the last thing he saw was Shiro fleeing the clearing, and everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Hunk sat in the control room, waiting for Pidge to finish the most recent project they had been working on. It was supposed to be a way to track the Galra's every move, not just knowing where they were, but also where they would next strike. He was getting bored, and was about to go to the kitchen to cook when he heard the Black Lion pulling into the hangar.

"Shiro!" Hunk called out. "How did the mission go?"

Shiro walked out of the lion, a somber expression on his face. Hunk strained to look past him and catch a glimpse of Lance, and when he didn't see him, panic began to worm its way into his mind.

"Shiro, where's Lance?"

Shiro finally looked up, his eyebrows pinching together, a sorrowful look stealing over his face. "Hunk, can you please call the others here?"

"Um, sure. But first, tell me where Lance is?" Hunk was frantic at this point. His best friend was always getting hurt, and ended up in the pod more than any of the others combined.

"I'll tell you as soon as the others get here." Shiro snapped at him.

Hunk grumbled, but raced off to get the others. Once everybody had arrived at the hangars, Allura began to speak.

"Shiro, what is going on. Where is Lance?"

Shiro let out a deep sigh. "When we arrived at the planet, Lance got excited and ran ahead. I tried to stop him, but you know Lance. He can be pretty impulsive. Anyways, he ran straight into a Galra squadron, and we had to fight. I was fighting one of the generals, and before I could do anything, I heard Lance scream. I turned around and-" At this point, Shiro's voice broke off.

"And what Shiro?" Pidge prompted, fear coloring her voice.

"He had been stabbed!" Shiro burst out.

The hangar was quiet for a tick, before yelling erupted.

"What do you mean stabbed!"

"Is he alright?"

"Where is my best friend!"

At Hunk's exclamation, the hangar grew quiet again.

"Hunk…" Shiro said hesitantly. "Lance is dead. The Galra dragged his body off before I could get him, they said something about giving their emperor proof that they had crippled Votron. I'm so sorry. I tried to save him."

Hunk felt his thoughts spinning out of control. He didn't even hear the crying and yelling around him. All he could feel was crippling sadness. Lance would never get to go home, would never get to see his family again. Oh God, Hunk would have to tell Lance's sweet mother that her son had died on a stupid stealth mission.

Meanwhile, Pidge was deep in thought. Lance may be impulsive, but he wasn't stupid. He would have never have just run straight into enemy territory. Hell, that would have been more believable for Keith! No, she refused to believe that her brother was dead. Especially when the last thing she had ever said to him was scolding him.

Next to Pidge, Allura was having the same thoughts. While she did believe Lance to be impulsive, parts of Shiro's story didn't add up. But mostly, she just didn't want to have lost Lance just after learning that her entire family was dead. Team Voltron had become her family, and without each and every single one of them, she was lost.

Shiro finally yelled. "Guys, enough! I know that we are all coming to terms with Lance's death, but we need to start thinking ahead. The Red Lion will need a pilot with Lance gone-"

"You mean dead! Say it Shiro, he's dead and it's because of you!" Pidge glared in anger at Shiro.

"Pidge-" Allura started, but was cut off.

"Don't! Lance had said before that the planet was dangerous, and you insisted on the two of you going alone. It's your fault that he died!" With that, Pidge stormed off to her room.

Shiro looked uncomfortable, and Allura rushed to comfort him. "Don't worry Shiro, she's just in shock. It was not your fault, you didn't know this would happen. Please don't blame yourself."

Shiro looked at Allura, grateful. "Thank you Princess. I know that none of us want to even think about it, but Voltron must continue. We need a pilot for the Red Lion, and with Keith still MIA, we will have to find a replacement."

"I think I may have a solution." Coran spoke for the first time. He had dried tear marks running down his face, but looked determined. Lance was like the son that he had lost on Altea, and he would not let his death be in vain. "I believe that the Red Lion will let me in. I know that it has rejected me before, but I truly believe that this is my path. Lance was like a son to me, and I want to honor his memory."

Shiro nodded. "Thank you Coran, that means a lot to me. I'm sure that Lance would approve." He then sighed heavily. "How about everybody take a rest for the next few days? It's been a rough week."

Allura and Coran nodded, leaving Hunk and Shiro alone.

Shiro was about to leave, when Hunk stopped him. "Shiro, how do you know Lance is dead?"

Shiro glanced over at him with a haunted look in his eyes. "Trust me Hunk, he wasn't alive after what they did to him. It was brutal."

"Still, you never actually got to check his body right?" Hunk pressed. "So, he could be alive. He might have just been captured."

Shiro sent Hunk a look full of pity. "Hunk, he's gone. We all have to accept it. I'm sorry."

Shiro left the hangar, leaving Hunk alone with his traitorous thoughts. Lance couldn't be dead, and Hunk was going to prove it.

**2 weeks later**

"Is he waking up? I think he's waking up!"

"Finally, it's about time. He's been sleeping for almost 2 movements! I'm tired of him hogging my bed."

Lance slowly became aware of the world around him. He was lying on some kind of a cot, in what looked like a dirt cove. He groggily opened his eyes, to see 4 people standing above him.

"He's awake!" A man, about 18 or 19 with blue skin walks up to him. "Hey man, my name's Lyn. You're on the planet Zenith. We found you bleeding out, and took you to our planet for immediate medical care."

Lance lay there, trying to process all this information. Then he realized something. "My eye, is it alright?" Lance blinked a few times, and realized that the vision in his right eye was actually _clearer _ than before.

A girl with pink skin and brown horns got up from her chair to stand next to him. "We had technology on our planet that was able to replace your eye, as well as heal your stab wound. I'm Bria by the way."

A tall guy with green hair and a small girl with comically large eyes that reminded Lance of Pidge pushed themselves forward. The girl began to speak, "OK, my name's Inara and this dude is Ax. Now that the introductions are out of the way, do you want to join our team?"

The tall alien, Ax, pushed Inara slightly. "Dude, you can't just ask a stranger if he wants to join our group. He has to be initiated in!"

"He's a freaking paladin!" argued Inara. "I'm pretty sure he's proven his worth already."

"Guys!" Lyn, who seemed like the leader of the group, stepped forward. "You are both overwhelming him. Back down now!"

Lance sent a small grin to Lyn. "Thanks, this is just a lot to take in. One moment I'm on a stealth mission and the other moment, my leader attacks me. Can I just have a moment alone?"

"Sure," Lyn nodded. Gesturing with his arm, he ordered the rest of his team out. "Take all the time you need." he remarked, before leaving the room.

Finally alone with his thoughts, Lance processed everything he had learned. In the past 2 movements, he had learned that Shiro was being controlled by Haggar, who for some reason saw Lance as a threat.

_Oh God! Does that mean the whole team thinks I'm dead? _

Lance felt tears gathering in the corner of his left eye, and blinked it away.

_Don't think about that right now Lance. You have to focus on getting back to the team so you can warn them about Shiro and help free him from Haggar's control._

Although it had been Shiro's body that had stabbed Lance, he knew that it wasn't Shiro. The Black Paladin was the most honorable member on the team, and Lance was going to make sure that he was free from the Galra's mind control. Feeling better now that he had a goal in mind, Lance got out of bed and went to stand by the full length mirror. Once he saw himself, he let out a small gasp. His once ocean blue eye was now a piercing gold. As Lance studied it some more, he saw mechanisms on his cornea and pupil, that looked like the focusing features on a camera.

_Hmm, I wonder if I close my left eye…_

It worked! When Lance closed his left eye and concentrated, his right eye zoomed in. It was amazing, now he was able to see to the finest detail. The dust motes floating in the air and every pore on his grimy face was captured.

_Yikes! So that's what I look like when I don't do a face mask for 2 weeks._

Lance didn't want to see his face anymore, so he walked back to the bed. One of the girls, Inara, had mentioned him joining their group. Lance had heard Allura talking about rebel groups that were sprouting up everywhere, trying to fight the Galra and mainly free prisoners. Lance had commented that it had sounded cool, but Allura hadn't agreed. She had said that the rebel groups were cowards, because they weren't sharing any of the information that they had obtained to Voltron. Lance didn't see it that way, but it was just another thing that he disagreed with the team on. Now however, it seemed he had a choice. He could go back to Voltron, and hope that they would listen to him about Shiro. Or, he could join this group, and see if he could take down Haggar herself, therefore freeing Shiro and keeping Voltron safe from harm.

His mind made up, Lance got to his feet and pushed the door open. The 4 aliens looked up from the table they were sitting at.

Lance took a deep breath. "I'm in."


End file.
